SMFS list member
Curtis Ippolito’s flash tale, “Take It To The Bank” appears today at Pulp
Modern Flash. You can read it for free here
Monday, November 30, 2020
SMFS Member Publishing News: Curtis Ippolito
SMFS Member Publishing News: Vinnie Hansen
Vinnie Hansen’s non-fiction piece, “Geography Lessons” appears in the Catamaran Literary Reader: Winter 2021 issue. It can be purchased on their website here.
FICTION on the WEB short stories: Fast Times at Spiro Agnew High by James Blakey
FICTION on the WEB short stories: Fast Times at Spiro Agnew High by James Blakey: High school student Michael Wimmer owes money to a dangerous acquaintance, and must undertake some detective work to make things right; by J...
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Little Big Crimes Review: My People by Liza Cody
Little Big Crimes: My People, by Liza Cody: "My People," by Liza Cody, in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, November/December 2020 . This is Liza Cody's second appearance...
SMFS Members Published in Mystery Weekly Magazine: December 2020
Two SMFS list members are published in Mystery
Weekly Magazine: December 2020. The read is available in both print and
eBook from the publisher and at Amazon.
The SMFS members in this issue are:
John M. Floyd with “Charlie’s War.”
Susan Oleksiw with “Chandler in the Classroom.”
Synopsis:
At the cutting edge of crime fiction, Mystery Weekly
Magazine presents original short stories by the world’s best-known and emerging
mystery writers.
The stories we feature in our monthly issues span
every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police procedural, noir, whodunit,
supernatural, hardboiled, humor, and historical mysteries. Evocative writing
and a compelling story are the only certainty.
Get ready to be surprised, challenged, and
entertained--whether you enjoy the style of the Golden Age of mystery (e.g.,
Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle), the glorious pulp digests of the early
twentieth century (e.g., Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler), or contemporary
masters of mystery.
In our cover story, “Up The Chimney He Rose” by Gerard J Waggett, three weeks before Christmas, Lester Manning is found bludgeoned to death inside his study, a room locked from the inside. Just because the only way out seems to have been the chimney, that doesn't make Santa Claus a suspect, does it?In “Naughty Or Nice” by Michael Mallory former teacher Roy Talman finally lands a new job, as a department store Santa Claus. But when a seven-year-old boy confesses that he murdered the girl next door, Roy is compelled to discover the truth … no matter where it leads.“Chandler In The Classroom” by Susan Oleksiw explores reaction or lack of reaction when a man with a gun bursts into a classroom.“Charlie’s War” by John M. Floyd: Military veteran Charlie Reardon, homeless and hopeless, has decided crime might be his only way out of poverty—until a mysterious stranger offers him advice. The new plan still involves a crime, but in a way that will change his life forever.In “Gina’s Greatest Hits” by Lina Chern a streetwise thirteen-year-old girl becomes a gambling debt enforcer in an attempt to keep her struggling family afloat.“The Gnomes” by A.M. Porter: When a small-town harpy returns a pair of gnomes her husband used to commit suicide in his backyard pool to their place on the lawn, pathologist's assistant Tamsin Bruce suspects murder. No one listens until it's (almost) too late.In “The Last Dance Of Don Diego” by John Kojak, a young girl witnesses a murder that could change her life, and her family's fortunes, forever. All she has to do is trust the killer.In “Chain Of Hearts” by J.T. Siemens a mild-mannered bank clerk meets his true love and gets involved in a life of crime.“Fleece Navidad” A You-Solve-It by Stacy Woodson: When a float at Pottsville’s annual Christmas parade is vandalized, it’s up to Mabel to identify the culprit and the motives behind this holiday crashing crime.
SleuthSayers: What Does It Say About You? by R. T. Lawton
SleuthSayers: What Does It Say About You?: Almost every author has at least one of what I'm going to talk about. And, some of what I've seen are better than others. I'm r...
Saturday, November 28, 2020
SMFS Member Publishing News: David H. Hendrickson
SMFS list member David H. Hendrickson’s short story, “Housewarming Gift” appears in Sins of the Father: Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem: Issue Four out now. Billed as a “Quarterly Mystery Magazine,” the read is published by Knotted Road Press. The read is available in both print and eBook formats from Amazon and other vendors.
Synopsis:
A father's
sins fall under a multitude of transgressions. Hiding family secrets. Stealing
intellectual property. Being an alcoholic. Or even demanding a daughter marry
for business, not love.
These sins
and others, as well as how they effect the people around them, are explored in
issue four of MCM.
Sins of
the Father-So Criminal, it's Good.
And be
sure to pick up all the issues of MCM! Published quarterly.
SleuthSayers: Cozying Up the Facts by Judy Penz Sheluk
SleuthSayers: Cozying Up the Facts: Melodie, here! Are you ready for Hot Crime in a Cold Climate? In between the usual loopy columns by yours truly, I'll be introducing ...
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Little Big Crimes Review: Death of Another Hero by Susan Daly
Little Big Crimes: Death of Another Hero, by Susan Daly: "Death of Another Hero," by Susan Daly, in Ellen Hart Presets: Malice Domestic 15: Murder Most Theatrical, edited by Verona Rose...
Criminal Minds: Know What You Don’t Know from James W. Ziskin
Criminal Minds: Know What You Don’t Know from James W. Ziskin: Today I’m going off topic in order to write about the release of a short story of mine next week. But, so as not to neglect this week’s ques...
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
SMFS Members Published in Unexpected Heroines (Cutter's Final Cut: Issue 1)
Several SMFS list members are published in the anthology, Unexpected Heroines (Cutter's Final Cut: Issue 1). Published by Kydala Publishing, Inc., the read is available in both eBook and print formats at Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS members in the book are:
Lauryn Christopher with "How Emmy Lou Saved the
World, More or Less."
Dayle Dermatis with “Left Behind, She Waited.”
Robert Jeschonek with “Ollie and the Designated
Bitch.”
Annie Reed with “The Strength She Gave.”
Synopsis:
Tired of superheroes? Those folks with perfect hair and
eight-pack abs?
These are stories of everyday women. Humble women. Not the
ones endowed with god-like talents. These women have ordinary jobs. Take care
of their families. Their friends.
Until something happens. It may be terrible. It may be a
light-hearted crime.
It isn't the expected heroes or heroines who save the day.
But rather, these unexpected heroines who no one has even
noticed before.
They are the ones who step forward.
Come dip into this wonderful collection of heart-warming
tales of simple, or not so simple, justice. You'll be glad you did.
And maybe you will start to see the unexpected heroine among
the women in your life.
SMFS Member Publication News: John M. Floyd
SMFS
list member John M. Floyd has another short story appearing in Woman’s World
Magazine. His latest tale, “A Musical Mystery” is in the current issue (November
30, 2020) of Woman’s World
Magazine. The publication is available in grocery stores, at some newsstands, and by subscription.
SleuthSayers: So Many Murder Methods, So Little Time by Barb Goffman
SleuthSayers: So Many Murder Methods, So Little Time: How can I kill you? Let me count the ways. Last month, I was on a Bouchercon panel titled What's A Weapon: Choosing Ways to Murder. We h...
Monday, November 23, 2020
SMFS Member Podcast News: Guy Belleranti
The latest KRL Podcast features the mystery short story, “No More Excuses” by SMFS list member Guy Belleranti. You can listen for free to the KRL Podcast here.
From the site:
This episode features the mystery short story No More Excuses by Guy Belleranti. It is read by local
actor Sean Hopper. No More Excuses was published by the magazine Detective
Mystery Stories in their September 2002 issue. You can learn more about the
author on his website. Sean Hopper has read several other stories for the
podcast. In each episode, we share with you mystery short stories and mystery
novel first chapters read by actors from the San Joaquin Valley. If you enjoyed
this episode please review or rate it as that helps more people be able to find
us! Also, consider subscribing so you never miss an episode-both to this
podcast and to the podcast newsletter. You can find more mystery fun on our
websites Kings River Life Magazine and KRL News and Reviews. We now also have a
Patreon where you can help support the podcast and the magazine and get special
perks!
SMFS Member Publishing News: Frank Zafiro
Today is publication day for SMFS list member Frank
Zafiro’s new book, Code Four. Co-written with Colin Conway, this
is the fourth and final book in the series that began with Charlie-316.
Published by Down & Out Books, the police procedural is available from the publisher,
Amazon,
and other vendors in a variety of formats.
Synopsis:
The last two years have been tumultuous ones for the
Spokane Police Department. On the surface, the agency has suffered from scandal
and police officer deaths. Underneath, a secret and deadly game of cat and
mouse has played out.
Now the Department of Justice has sent investigators
to determine if federal intervention is needed. Their presence disrupts
everyone’s agenda and threatens to expose dark secrets. Goals shift from
winning situations to simply surviving.
Not everyone will.
In this tense and explosive final installment of the
Tyler Garrett saga, everyone’s true nature is laid bare. Garrett scrambles to
maintain what he has built. Chief Baumgartner tries to protect his department.
Captain Farrell’s plans crumble around him, and Officer Ray Zielinski’s career is
at risk. Meanwhile, DOJ supervisor Édelie Durand diligently follows the facts
where they lead. And through it all, the unflappable Detective Clint keeps his
eyes firmly on the prize—Officer Tyler Garrett.
Sunday, November 22, 2020
SMFS Members Publishing News: BOULD* Awards 2020 Short Story Anthology: *Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless, Daring
Numerous SMFS list members are in the new book, BOULD*
Awards 2020 Short Story Anthology: *Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered,
Limitless, Daring and several have won an award this year for their
story in the book. Edited and published by SMFS list member, Jake Devlin, the
read is available in both eBook and print formats at Amazon
and other vendors. The SMFS members in the read, and the award he or she won
where appropriate, are listed below.
Craig Faustus Buck with “Heavy Debt” as well as “Cuppa
Joe” and “2 is for Taboo.”
Chris Chan with “The Six-Year-Old Serial Killer” as
well as “Death on the Toilet.”
Lynne Chick with “Time Share.”
Jan Christensen with “Wicked Wanda.”
John R. Clark with “Flat Broke” as well as “Nowhere to
Hide” and “Flat Broke.”
Missye K. Clarke with “Punxsutawney Kill.”
Maddi Davidson with “The Call of the Dead.”
Publisher/ Editor Jake Devlin with “Arrggh!!” as well
as “Is Today The Day?” and “An Apocalyptic Micro Short Story.”
Lesley A. Diehl with “Room Service.”
Pamela Ebel with “Two Heads are Better Than One” as
well as “Welcome to Bay City” and “The Devil’s in the Details.” “Two Heads are
Better Than One” was selected as the Second Place winner.
Will A. Emerson with “No Matter” as well as “Moma’s
Boy-The Tale of Edward and Sophia” and “Honor Amongst the Rigid Loyals 2.” “No
Matter” was selected as the Third Place winner.
John M. Floyd with “Sightings” as well as “Mythic
Heights” and “Eyes in the Sky.”
Heidi Hunter with “A Game of Cat and Mouse.”
Hope Isreal with “Till Death Do Us.”
Ken Lawrence with “The Coldest Goodbye.” This short story was selected as the First
Place winner.
Joan Leotta with “Long Live Quennie!”
Sharon Marchisello with “Halloween Justice.”
Abe Margel with “Message in a Bottle” as well as “The
Garden.”
Bern Sy Moss with "The Blind Date.” This short
story was selected as the Fourth Place winner.
Susan Oleksiw with “My Pal Charley Solves a Problem” as
well as “Myrtle Volunteers.”
Pete Peyronie with "Paint Your Nude?"
KM Rockwood with “Staying Safe….VERY Safe.”
Steve Shrott with “Lydia” as well as “Belzie’s
Breakthrough.”
Faye Snowden with “Mercy” as well as “Andromeda, the
Chained Lady, or Storm in the Cane Field.”
Cathi Stoler with “A Grave Conversation.”
Louise Taylor with “Gas.”
Gabriel Valjan with “Tampons.”
Sylvia Maultash Warsh with “Flamingo Nights.”
Elizabeth Zelvin with “Rule One” as well as “Invisible.”
Synopsis:
Are you an adventurous, daring reader? Like to explore new
frontiers? If so, this one's for you.
In this third annual edition, you'll find 54 of the
weirdest, most outrageous, wackiest, scariest, puzzlingest (is that really a
word?) short stories submitted for this anthology in 2020. (There were 21 in
the 2018 edition, 43 in 2019, all selected by a panel of independent judges.)
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be shocked, scared, and
maybe even perflutzed by some of the stories you'll find, in many different
genres and styles. But with nearly every story, we know you'll be surprised.
We expect the 2021 edition to be BOULDer (no relation to the
city in Colorado), and that'll raise the bar even higher for the 2022 edition.
We might wind up changing “Limitless” to “Loopy” if writers can really let
their inhibitions go and let their haywire creativity loose.
But now it's time for you to quit reading these promo bits,
brace yourself and dig in. Have fun!
Saturday, November 21, 2020
SMFS Member Publishing News: Jan Christensen
SMFS list member Jan Christensen’s new book, Death At Paradise Beach: A Luna Saga, is available in both print and eBook formats at Amazon and other vendors.
Synopsis:
No one at the Sea Breeze Condominiums liked Barry Everhart.
But when condo manager, 39-year old Luna Dearborn, finds him bludgeoned to
death in the Texas coastal seagrass, the police seem to believe she’s a prime
suspect. She quickly hires a shrewd, intriguing lawyer named Casper.The next
day her mother and hippie grandmother arrive from Minnesota in a vintage VW bus
for a planned visit. Further complicating her life, she’s met a new man who’s
igniting some feelings she’s not sure are reliable.Between entertaining her
quirky relatives, answering more police questions, and coping with a surprise
visitor, Luna has less time to chill out on the condo’s roof garden and laze on
the beach while her assistant manager takes charge. When he’s attacked and ends
up as a suspect, Luna realizes that she needs to prove someone else is the
killer. But there are more shocking surprises in store for her. Will she be
able to prevent more deaths, including her own?
SleuthSayers: The Same Old Story by John M. Floyd
SleuthSayers: The Same Old Story: How many of you have unfinished or unpublished stories (or novels) stashed away in a drawer or under the bed, or in a folder someplace on yo...
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: MYSTERY AUTHOR JUDY PENZ SHELUK WEAVES A TALE AROUND OLD DAGUERREOTYPES
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: #CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--MYSTERY AUTHOR JUDY PENZ S...: A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her ...
Monday, November 16, 2020
Little Big Crimes Review: Woodstock by Michael Bracken
Little Big Crimes: Woodstock, by Michael Bracken: "Woodstock," by Michael Bracken, in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, November/December 2020. This is the seventh appear...
SMFS Member Publishing News: Art Taylor
SMFS list member Art Taylor’s short story,
“The White Rose of Memphis” is now out as part of the Barb Goffman Presents
Series at The Black Cat Mystery & Science Fiction eBook Club (Wildside
Press). The story originally appeared in NEEDLE: A MAGAZINE OF NOIR. The
read is free and can be picked up here.
Sunday, November 15, 2020
SMFS Member Publishing News: Richard Helms
SMFS list member Richard Helm’s latest book, Brittle Karma: An Eamon Gold Novel is now out. Published by Barbadoes Hall Communications, the read is available in eBook and print formats at Amazon.
Synopsis:
Richard Helms' Derringer Award-winning and Shamus
Award-nominated San Francisco private eye Eamon Gold returns in BRITTLE KARMA,
a classic tale cast in the molds forged by Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald,
and Robert B. Parker. Eamon Gold turns away a potential client named Abner
Carlisle, a recently paroled armored car robber, who is looking for a man named
Eddie Rice. Rice was the wheelman for the robbery a quarter century earlier,
and ran off with the take of almost twenty million dollars--and Carlisle's
daughter. Gold believes Carlisle intends to murder Rice, and refuses the case.
After Carlisle is murdered in his hotel room, Gold becomes intrigued when he
discovers the insurance company will pay ten percent of whatever fraction of
the robbery take he can recover. Gold is temporarily bucks-up, but has no
paying client on the horizon, so he dives in on spec, trying to make a little
quick bank on the coldest of cold cases. Along the way, he encounters crooked
cops, an aging porn star, an ex-Army Ranger turned gangland muscle, the boozy
estranged wife of a City Supervisor, dangerous mobsters, and a surprise player
he never saw coming.
SMFS Member Publishing News: Laura Ware
SMFS list member Laura Ware’s short story, “The Vampire Versus the Elder Court” appears in the recently released anthology, Nightly Bites Volume 3. Published by Kydala Publishing, Inc., the read is available in both eBook and print formats at Amazon and other vendors.
Synopsis:
A varied collection of vampire stories from flash to
novella-length, from the past to the future. Sometimes they mingle with other
supernatural creatures, sometimes they're the only non-human of the story.
THE STORIES
"Blood on the Ice" by David H. Hendrickson
"Nun Survived" by Rebecca M. Senese
"Job Interview", "Dracula Makes House
Calls" and "Don't Move" by Trent Walters
"Jamie: Blood of Betrayal" by Joleene Naylor
"The Vampire vs. The High Court" by Laura Ware
"Blood" by Kate Pavelle
"A More Ancient Killer" by Bonnie Elizabeth
"One Who Cannot Be Destroyed" by Barbara G.Tarn
"Young Monster Hunters in Love" by Stefon Mears
"Rebels of Seduction" by Meyari McFarland
SMFS Member Publishing News: David H. Hendrickson
SMFS list member David H. Hendrickson’s short story, “Blood on the Ice” appears in the recently released anthology, Nightly Bites Volume 3. Published by Kydala Publishing, Inc., the read is available in both eBook and print formats at Amazon and other vendors.
Synopsis:
A varied collection of vampire stories from flash to
novella-length, from the past to the future. Sometimes they mingle with other
supernatural creatures, sometimes they're the only non-human of the story.
THE STORIES
"Blood on the Ice" by David H. Hendrickson
"Nun Survived" by Rebecca M. Senese
"Job Interview", "Dracula Makes House
Calls" and "Don't Move" by Trent Walters
"Jamie: Blood of Betrayal" by Joleene Naylor
"The Vampire vs. The High Court" by Laura Ware
"Blood" by Kate Pavelle
"A More Ancient Killer" by Bonnie Elizabeth
"One Who Cannot Be Destroyed" by Barbara G.Tarn
"Young Monster Hunters in Love" by Stefon Mears
"Rebels of Seduction" by Meyari McFarland
Saturday, November 14, 2020
SleuthSayers: It's Not Funny to Them by Robert Mangeot
SleuthSayers: It's Not Funny to Them: by Robert Mangeot I should warn you I have a liberal arts education. Now warned, it might not surprise you that I think about classic story ...
Friday, November 13, 2020
SMFS Members Published in Cozy Villages of Death
Numerous SMFS list members are published in the recently
released anthology, Cozy Villages of Death. Edited by SMFS list
member Lyn Worthen, who also wrote the introduction to the book, the read is
published by Camden Park Press in print and eBook formats. The read is
available at Amazon
and other vendors. The SMFS members in the book are:
Lauryn Christopher with “Tea and Roses.”
John M. Floyd with “Valentine’s Day.”
C.C. Guthrie with “Cahoots.”
Ben Harshman with “"Aloha, Captain!”
Margaret S. Hamilton with “Dealing at the Dump.”
Ursula Hoult with “Death and Other Changed Plans.”
Clifford Royal Johns with “Death in the Lower Forty.”
D.T. Langdale with “A Clean Kill.”
Annie Reed with “Murder Runs in the Neighborhood.”
Merrilee Robson with “Death by Natural Causes.”
Joseph S. Walker with “"Villainy in the Vertical
Village.”
Kelly Zimmer with “Crossed Off.”
Synopsis:
Secrets hide behind those peacefully shuttered windows...
Deception awaits around the next curve in the road. Rumors spread over garden hedges, fishing ponds, and knitting circles. Neighborhood cats discover a boneyard.
And when Death strolls through the tranquil countryside or checks into the quaint village inn for the weekend, it's the intrepid - and often accidental - investigators who must find and decipher clues, unravel mysteries, and bring the killer to justice.
Includes stories by John M. Floyd, Kristine Kathryn Rusch,
Annie Reed, Lauryn Christopher, C.C. Guthrie, Joseph S. Walker, Margaret S.
Hamilton, Ben Harshman, C.J. Mattison, Clifford Royal Johns, D.T. Langdale,
Kelly Zimmer, Merrilee Robson, N.K. Wardley, and Ursula Holt. Edited by Lyn
Worthen.
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Jungle Red Writers: A Which? A What? A Witch Bottle by Judy Penz Sheluk
Jungle Red Writers: A Which? A What? A Witch Bottle: HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Ohh, I love to learn something new. Have you ever heard of witch bottles? I hadn’t. Not until the fab Judy Penz Shelu...
SleuthSayers: The Best American Mystery Stories by Michael Bracken
SleuthSayers: The Best American Mystery Stories: November 3, 2020, was the official release date for The Best American Mystery Stories 2020, the last edition with Otto Penzler as series ed...
SMFS Member Publishing News: Judy Penz Sheluk
Today is publication day for Where There's A Will: A Glass Dolphin Mystery by Judy Penz Sheluk. This is the third book in the series that began with The Hangman’s Noose. Published by the author’s publishing company, Superior Shores Press, the read is available in both print and eBook formats at Amazon, and other vendors.
Synopsis:
Emily Garland is getting married and looking for the perfect
forever home. When the old, and some say haunted, Hadley house comes up for
sale, she’s convinced it’s “the one.” The house is also perfect for reality TV
star Miles Pemberton and his new series, House Haunters. Emily will fight for
her dream home, but Pemberton’s pockets are deeper than Emily’s, and he’ll
stretch the rules to get what he wants.While Pemberton racks up enemies all
around Lount’s Landing, Arabella Carpenter, Emily’s partner at the Glass
Dolphin antiques shop, has been hired to appraise the contents of the estate,
along with her ex-husband, Levon. Could the feuding beneficiaries decide
there’s a conflict of interest? Could Pemberton?Things get even more
complicated when Arabella and Levon discover another will hidden inside the
house, and with it, a decades-old secret. Can the property stay on the market?
And if so, who will make the winning offer: Emily or Miles Pemberton?
Monday, November 9, 2020
SMFS Member Podcast News: Peter DiChellis
The latest KRL Podcast features the mystery short story, “The Belle Hope” by SMFS list member Peter DiChellis. You can listen for free to the KRL Podcast here.
From the site:
This episode features the mystery short story The Belle Hope
written by Peter DiChellis. It is read by local actors Maxwell Debbas and
Brianne Vogt Debbas. The Belle Hope originally appeared in the Malice Domestic
anthology Nancy Pickard Presents Malice Domestic 13: Mystery Most Geographical
in April 2018. You can learn more about the author on his website. In each
episode, we share with you mystery short stories and mystery novel first
chapters read by actors from the San Joaquin Valley. If you enjoyed this
episode please review or rate it as that helps more people be able to find us!
Also, consider subscribing so you never miss an episode-both to this podcast
and to the podcast newsletter. You can find more mystery fun on our websites
Kings River Life Magazine and KRL News and Reviews.
SleuthSayers: Sin & Syntax by Steve Liskow
SleuthSayers: Sin & Syntax: by Steve Liskow I encountered Strunk and White's The Elements of Style in my senior year of high school, and have worn out several cop...
Sunday, November 8, 2020
Little Big Crimes Review: Handed, on a Gold Plate by Robert Mangeot
Little Big Crimes: Handed, on a Gold Plate, by Robert Mangeot: "Handed, on a Gold Plate," by Robert Mangeot, in Mystery Weekly Magazine, November 2020. This is the fifth appearance here by ...
Saturday, November 7, 2020
SleuthSayers: Pay to Play -- Yea or Nay? by John Floyd
SleuthSayers: Pay to Play -- Yea or Nay?: I have often said, at this blog, that I believe writers--novelists. nonfictioners, poets, short-story writers, whoever--should expect to be ...
Friday, November 6, 2020
Ellis Vidler's Unpredictable Muse: First Friday! Woohoo--Alexander, Kaye George (SMFS Member), Rick Helms! (SMFS Member)
Ellis Vidler's Unpredictable Muse: First Friday! Woohoo--Alexander, George, Helms!: It's First Friday again, and time for a welcome distraction from the news. Three 150-word stories based on a single picture by three ve...
SMFS Members Published in All Due Respect 2020
Today is publication for the book, All Due Respect 2020. Published by All Due Respect, the read is available in both print and eBook formats at Amazon. The SMFS list members with short stories in the book are:
BV Lawson with "Quaking in My Boots.”
Mike Penncavage with "The Last Supper."
Stephen D. Rodgers with “Mad Dog.”
Synopsis:
Twelve short stories from the top writers in crime fiction today.
Featuring the work of Stephen D. Rogers, Tom Leins, Michael
Pool, Andrew Davie, Sharon Diane King, Preston Lang, Jay Butkowski, Steven
Berry, Craig Francis Coates, Bobby Mathews, Michael Penncavage, and BV Lawson.
Edited by Chris Rhatigan and David Nemeth.
Thursday, November 5, 2020
SleuthSayers: Dark Hollow by Eve Fisher
SleuthSayers: Dark Hollow: [NOTE: This story was originally published in Space and Time Magazine, Fall Issue, 2000. It's the first of my Crow Woman stories. I...
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
SleuthSayers: Table for Eight? by Robert Lopresti
SleuthSayers: Table for Eight?: Writers talk a lot about inspiration, that miraculous moment when you get an idea for a book, or a plot twist, or a bit of dialog. And t...
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
SMFS Members Published in Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the '60s
Numerous SMFS list members have short stories in the new anthology, Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the '60s. Edited by SMFS list member Sandra Murphy, and published by Untreed Reads, the book is currently exclusively available in various eBook formats at Drive Thru Fiction. It is also available for preorder at the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors where it becomes available on November 10th. The SMFS list members with short stories in the anthology are:
Jack Bates with “The Preacher's Daughter.”
Michael Bracken with "Jimmy's Jukebox."
Maddi Davidson with "Little Old Ladies From
Pasadena.”
Jeanne DuBois with “Wooden Ships.”
John M. Floyd with “Suspicious Minds.”
Linda Kay Hardie with “Cooking with Butter.”
Wendy Harrison with "Nights in White Satin."
James A. Hearn with "I'll Be Seeing You."
Heidi Hunter with “Aliens in MacArthur Park.”
Karen Keeley with “Lovely, Just Bloody Lovely.”
Mary Keliikoa with "Breaking Up is Hard To
Do."
Paul D. Marks with “Can't Find My Way Home.”
Terrie Farley Moran
"It Ain't Me, Babe."
Claire A. Murray with "Spirit in the Sky."
Josh Pachter with
“Won’t You Come Out Tonight?”
Merrilee Robson with "You Better Not Tell."
Earl Staggs with “Aunt Laverne and Elvis.”
Joseph S. Walker with "Mercy."
Synopsis:
Rebellion, revolution, and rock and roll defined the
‘60s. As music moved from country to folk protest songs, rock became the voice
of the “turn on, tune in, drop out,” generation. Peace, love, and harmony were
the goals. Meditation, mysticism, and psychedelic drugs were the way to
enlightenment. Peace, love, and crime were often the result, sometimes
humorous, sometimes deadly.
And the music played on. As Harold says in The Big
Chill, “There is no other music, not in my house.”
Spinning their chosen tunes and the tale of its
matching crime are: Earl Staggs, Jack Bates, Linda Kay Hardie, Jeanne DuBois,
Terrie Farley Moran, Heidi Hunter, Merrilee Robson, Claire A. Murray, Michael
Bracken, Maddi Davidson, Joseph S. Walker, Dawn Dixon, Karen Keely, Paul D.
Marks, Wendy Harrison, Mary Keliikoa, Maxim Jakubowski, James A. Hearn, C. A, Fehmel,
Catina Williams, Josh Pachter, and John Floyd, talented writers all.
SMFS Members Published/Recognized in The Best American Mystery Stories 2020
Several SMFS list members have stories in or are recognized in The Best American Mystery Stories 2020 edition. Edited by C. J. Box and Otto Penzler, the read is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and is available in audio, eBook, and print formats from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. The SMFS list members in the book or recognized in it are:
John Floyd with ““Rhonda and Clyde” Black
Cat Mystery Magazine: Issue #5.
Rick Helms with “See Humber and Die.” Originally published in The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods, edited by Michael Bracken of the SMFS.
Other Distinguished Stories of 2019
Michael Bracken with "The Town Where Money Grew on Trees." Published online by TOUGH on 11/5/2019. Editor Rusty Barnes.
Jim Doherty with "Twelve Good Men and True," Black Mask 2019 Yearbook (Vol 37, No. 3).
Paul J. Garth with “Paper Boats” in The Desperate and the Damned: A Toe Six Anthology. Co-edited by Sandra Ruttan of the SMFS.
Joseph S. Walker "Bonus Round" from Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine: May/June 2019 AHMM.
Synopsis:
A collection of the year’s best mystery short fiction
selected by New York Times best-selling and Edgar Award–winning author C. J.
Box.
C. J. Box , #1 New York Times best-selling author of the
hugely popular Joe Pickett series, selects the best short mystery and crime
fiction of the year in this annual “treat for crime-fiction fans” (Library
Journal).
Criminal Minds: Time for the Gold Watch by Frank Zafiro
Criminal Minds: Time for the Gold Watch: Endgame – After considering killing off his hero, Lee Child is handing over the writing of the Jack Reacher Novels to his brother, Andrew. W...
SMFS Member Publishing News: Robert Mangeot
SMFS list member Robert Mangeot has a guest post, “Unhappy
Place, Unhappy Story” at Trace Evidence. In the piece he discusses writing
his short story, “On Loan From the Artist" found in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery
Magazine: November/December 2020 and the role of setting in the tale. The essay
can be read here.
SMFS Members Published in A Grave Diagnosis: 35 Stories of Murder and Malaise
Several SMFS list members are in the new anthology, A
Grave Diagnosis: 35 Stories of Murder and Malaise. Published by Carrick
Publishing, the read is currently available in eBook format at Amazon.
The SMFS members in the anthology are:
M. H. Callway with “The Eternal Bakery of the Fractal
Mind.”
John M. Floyd with “The Rocking R.”
Blair Keetch with “'Sleep, Perchance to Die.”
Rob McCartney with “The Red Cord.”
Rosemary McCracken with “Hooked.”
Ed Piwowarczyk with “Danny and Me.”
Merrilee Robson with “In His Element.”
C.A. Rowland with “The House of Elizabeth Dandridge.”
Steve Shrott with "Sometimes Miracles
Happen."
Sylvia Warsh with “Days Without Name.”
Amazon Synopsis:
Evil and illness are intertwined in this third Carrick
crime anthology.
Our 35 authors each take a stab at answering the
question: What happens when murder seems like the best cure for what ails you?
Join us for this pandemic publication and find out how
we spent our COVID-19 isolation.
Authors:
Catherine Astolfo
Rosemary Aubert
Jayne Barnard
Thom Bennett
Susan Bowman
Jane Petersen Burfield
Linda Cahill
M.H. Callway
Melodie Campbell
Donna Carrick
Rosalind Croucher
Lisa de Nikolits
John M. Floyd
Mary Fraser
Delee Fromm
Therese Greenwood
Elizabeth Hosang
Blair Keetch
Laura Kulmann
Hayley Liversidge
Sylvia Maultash Warsh
Rob McCartney
Rosemary McCracken
Lynne Murphy
Joan O’Callaghan
Ed Piwowarczyk
Rosalind Place
Merrilee Robson
C.A. Rowland
Steve Shrott
Madona Skaff
Caro Soles
Blake Stirling
Kevin P. Thornton
Vanessa Westermann